Glenys Andrews, Perthshire Open Studios chairwoman and a colleague of Sutton-Smith, told Vanity Fair that William exclaimed: "Wow! Brilliant! That's going up in my room."

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According to CBC News, Kate held and examined the painting for quite some time.

In 2013, when Emsley's portrait was criticised for making the duchess look "old and serious", Sutton-Smith and other artists were invited to paint an alternative.

Andrews told Royal Central: "When the official portrait went up, everyone who knows Tom said, 'You can do better than that'. So that was the challenge."

Steering away from the norm, Sutton-Smith, a retired advertising director and artist, went for a freer interpretation of the royal.

Using an old photograph as guidance, Sutton-Smith said he wanted to capture her "youthful spirit".

"[Kate is] kind of sparkly and I was trying to convey that in the eyes and mouth," he told Vanity Fair. "Those are the hard bits to get right."

Once the painting was finished, Sutton-Smith had no intention of sharing it.

That is until he was approached by Andrews. The Perthshire Open Studioswas hosting an arts exhibition to welcome the duke and duchess.

"She had to give a gift to the duke and duchess when he was visiting here, and [she] remembered the painting and said, 'Can I have it?'," Sutton-Smith told CBC News. "I was delighted to do that, of course."

While Sutton-Smith said he was pleased with outcome, others have poked fun at his painting.

Vanity Fair noted that William was photographed drinking whisky earlier in the day and that Kate's "muted" reaction was like "asking someone if their friend liked a cake and that person responding, 'She tasted it!'."

My Daily reported: "There's definitely more of a sparkle and the cheekbones are spot on, but does it really look like Kate? We're not sure. In fact, we think it's a little bit weird."

Whether the royals were being polite or not, Sutton-Smith said: "It was an exciting moment and something you never really expect to happen."